Blade and a Pansy (2p Italy Brothers Backstory)
by RabidRedPanda
Summary: All the 2ps are pretty dark, but none more so than the leader amongst them, Luciano de Luca. However, his brother, dear Flavio de Luca, didn't turn out so horribly. How did Flavio become so charmingly flamboyant while Luciano became so...crotchety and abrasive? Maybe a blast from the past will help organize some answers.
1. Chapter 1

The streets were rather quiet. A lone street vendor sat with his cart of tomatoes in the cool evening air, waiting for people to come by and buy his product. He sighed and glanced up at the reddening sky, admiring the way the red sky tinted the wispy clouds a soft pink color. Perhaps a rather slow day of business wasn't so bad if he could see the sunset at the end of the day.

"Excuse me," came a small voice next to him.

The street vendor nearly jumped out of his own skin. He hadn't noticed the small child sneak up. He stared down at the little boy, blinking in surprise. "Ciao, little one. May I help you?"

The little boy blinked and rocked back and forth on his heels. "May I have a tomato, per favore?" he asked sweetly. A single cowlick bobbed in the middle of his head as he moved.

The vendor eyed the boy curiously. "Do you have the money for one?" The little boy shook his head and continued to gaze up at him. The vendor sighed and knelt down to eye level with the boy. "I'm sorry, but I can't just give them away. I've had rather slow business recently, so I can't afford to," he explained, a look of pity on his face. "I hope you find some food, though."

The little boy's eyes darted to the cart, then back to the man. He gave the man the cutest smile that he could muster up and clasped his tiny hands behind his back. "Are you sure you can't spare just one? One can't make much of a difference, can it?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

The vendor frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, but no. You'll have to look somewhere else-hey! Where are you going?" The little boy had turned and darted off, seeming to follow a tiny shape around the street corner. The street vendor stood up and scratched his head in confusion. "Strange child. I hope he's okay." He glanced down at his cart, but to his horror, he found the once full cart of ripe fruit half empty. He yelled out in anger, turning in the direction that the boy went. "You damn little boy! I've just been robbed!"

The little boy rounded the corner and followed the smaller shape down the road. "H-Hey! Slow down!" he panted, trailing the smaller figure down a narrow winding alleyway. He slowed down to catch his breath, skidding to a stop. "I-I can't keep doing this, Lucy. It's not weighing well on my conscience…"

The smaller figure dropped a canvas sack onto the ground and glared at the little boy. "I said don't call me Lucy," he hissed. "Call me Luciano like a normal person."

The little boy groaned and leaned against the wall. "I'll call you what I want, I'm your grande fratello!" he mumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead. "This will be the last time we steal, right? No more stealing? We can look for some work." Luciano didn't look up at his older brother, he just sat down and pulled out a tomato from the canvas sack. He carefully took a bite and chewed in silence. The older one scowled. "Lucy! Answer me, dammit!" he exclaimed.

In reply, Luciano reached into the bag, pulled out another tomato, and tossed it gently over to his brother. He swallowed his mouthful and looked up at the older boy. "Stealing is easy and it gets us free food. It's either this or work hard for a small meal, Flavio. This-" He patted the sack almost affectionately. "-is the better deal."

Flavio frowned and sighed, examining the tomato tossed into his lap. "I guess you're right, but I still don't like it," he muttered, taking a bite of the ripe fruit. He seemed to become less tense as he chewed, reassured now that he had food.

A grumble escaped from Luciano between bites of tomato, "I'm the one doing all the hard work…" He spat out a seed onto the ground next to him.

Flavio couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You aren't the one who has to distract people. You get to sneak around," he muttered. "If anything, our jobs are equally hard. We just have different tasks with different risks." He cupped his hand under the piece of fruit to catch the dripping juice.

"Meh. Sure, whatever you want," muttered Luciano through a mouthful of food.

"Manners. Swallow your food before speaking," said Flavio as soon as he heard Luciano's words. "And you're spilling juice on your shirt."

Luciano swallowed and looked down at his shirt with a frown. "Well shoot. We'd better find a place to wash our clothes, soon," he mumbled, eyeing the faintly red stain.

Flavio sighed and nodded. "Yeah, we sure can't use the fountain anymore…how were we supposed to know that was priceless art?"

"I know, right? If it was priceless art, then they shouldn't have let pigeons crap all over it in a town square!" groaned Luciano. "It's ridiculous."

Flavio gave a faint smile and scooted over to sit next to his brother. "It's getting dark. Should we just sleep here tonight?" he asked, gazing up at the sky, which was quickly becoming a shade of deep purple as night approached.

Luciano looked up, tilting his head at the darkening sunset. "Sure. I think we're safe down here." His mouth opened into a wide yawn and rubbed his eyes wearily. "Hey Flavio?"

"Si, miele?" Flavio answered, patting his brother's dark red hair gently.

Luciano leaned his head against Flavio's shoulder and took another bite of his tomato. "Do you ever wish Mamma was still here?" he asked curiously.

Flavio froze, his gaze becoming sad. "Of course I do. I just wonder if she wishes we were still with her…" he mumbled, biting into his piece of fruit again.

Luciano gave a small huff in response and finished off his tomato. He sucked the remaining juice off of his fingers and sighed contentedly. "I'm sleepy," he said with a small yawn and a stretch of his arms.

Flavio smiled slightly and pat his brother's hair again. "Would you like a lullaby? Or are you too old for those now?" he said teasingly.

Luciano blushed and shook his head. "N-No. I still like them. You can stop asking that, you know. I'll tell you if I don't want one," he grumbled with a hint of embarrassment gracing his tone.

Flavio chuckled and kissed his brother's head. "Alright, if you say so, Lucy," he sighed, popping the last bite of his tomato into his mouth. "What do you want to hear?"

Luciano shrugged and closed his eyes. "Whatever you want…" he whispered tiredly.

Flavio smiled and began singing softly in the dimming light:

_Nana bobo,_

_nana bobo,_

_all children are sleeping _

_and Guido is not._

_Sleep, sleep, sleep, for a year,_

_health to your father and then wealth._

_Sleep, sleep, sleep, cradle baby._

_Your mother is not here, she has gone away_

_Nana bobo,_

_nana bobo,_

_all children are sleeping _

_and Guido is not._

Flavio finished the hypnotising melody and looked down at little Luciano. The boy was fast asleep against his shoulder, breathing steadily. He smiled lovingly at his brother and leaned his head back against the wall. He glanced up at the night sky, now a deep indigo with white shining flecks starting to poke through the dark sheet of color. The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, but its silver light cast down upon the two boys comfortingly. Flavio eased his eyes shut and let out a long sigh. "Sometime soon, Lucy. Sometime soon, I'll find the solution to our problems. We'll find a home, someone to care for us and give us food so we don't have to steal...won't that be nice, Lucy?" he whispered under his breath to the sleeping child. The rising and falling of Luciano's chest was all that he felt, and it calmed him to know he wasn't alone. He slowly felt sleep take him as the night became darker and darker, leaving the two boys in shadow within the alleyway.


	2. Chapter 2

The two boys lived like this nearly every day. It was hardly a struggle to survive since pickpocketing and stealing came naturally to little Luciano. The tiny child could easily slip through crowds undetected, reach into bags and pockets, and fill a sack full of goods in just a matter of minutes. He'd been caught a few times, of course (perfecting an art such as pickpocketing requires some trial and error), but since Flavio made him follow a strict "no harming" policy, it was an obstacle when the rare occurrence of getting caught popped up. After a bad encounter a long time ago with a grouchy old man in which Luciano happened to have a shard of glass in his pocket, the "no harming" policy became set in stone for all of time to prevent getting into more trouble. Thus, without the will to fight back in front of his brother, Luciano had been toted off to law officials more than once. Still, the younger brother always managed to come back in one piece without any trouble on his shoulders. Flavio liked to believe his brother hadn't thought of some hairbrained scheme to escape and wormed his way out of these situations, but of course it was always obvious that Luciano had found some way to get out that wasn't very moral or legal.

Flavio himself wasn't very fond of pilfering, robbing, and thieving, so he played a less dangerous but still crucial role in the process: the distraction. Sometimes his acts were simple and just addressed the vendor, other times he had distracted entire crowds with his acts. He pretended to bleed to death in the middle of a town square once, and Luciano had made off like a bandit quite literally in all of the commotion. Flavio was still proud of that particular act's authenticity (and his ability to get away quickly), but overall preferred to ask politely rather than go straight for stealing. Even though his brother lacked some morality, he refused to let his need to survive cloud his humanity.

The two boys, while quite different, made a good team. They only had each other, and that was all they needed. What they each longed for was quite different.

A thick fog hung over the cityscape in the early morning. The distant chimes of a church bell echoed down the streets. Flavio smiled and took a deep breath. "It's going to be a nice, cool day, I can just tell," he sighed cheerfully, looking up at the stark gray sky.

Luciano followed his brother's gaze and scowled. "It looks like it's going to rain," he grumbled, pulling his jacket tighter around his body. "That's the last thing we need on a cool day."

"Oh cheer up, you're gloomier than the sky," teased Flavio, giving his brother a pat on the head. "It'd be much more becoming of your sweet face if you would smile, you know."

"I'll pass on that," muttered Luciano, looking down at his feet as they ambled along the street.

Flavio's bright smile wavered. He didn't say anything more, however. He glanced up ahead, trying to see farther down the road through the blurring fog. "Hey Lucy, keep an eye out for street vendors. We finished off the tomatoes yesterday, we should get some more food," he reminded his brother.

Luciano's head suddenly snapped up to look forward, scoping out the streets like a raptor. Flavio couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's reaction. Somehow, illegal activity always made his brother more energetic and attentive. Any normal person would be worried about that, but Flavio didn't care at this point. He stuck close to Luciano's side and eyed the buildings lining the road.

"Get down!" hissed Luciano, shoving Flavio down an alleyway.

Flavio's eyes widened as he was pushed. "Wha-HEY!" he yelped, instantly feeling Luciano clap a hand over his mouth. The little boy put a finger to his own lips before pointing at the opening from the alley into the road. Flavio gave his brother a confused look. "What's wrong-" Luciano applied more pressure to his brother's mouth, gripping Flavio's jaw and giving him a dangerous look. Flavio whined in protest but watched the opening to the alleyway with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

A young man strolled by, a bag slung over his shoulder. He didn't even notice the children as he passed by, a rather blase expression chiseled into his face. Flavio's eyes widened and he squirmed under his brother as soon as the young man had passed by. Luciano kept his hand tightly grasped over Flavio's mouth for a few more seconds before turning to him. "Quit squirming!" he snapped under his breath. "He's got produce of some sort in that bag, didn't you see the shape of the sack?"

"No!" griped Flavio. "I didn't! But he looks like someone we shouldn't mess with, Lucy. Plus, he's got his goods in a bag. You can't just go grab them."

Luciano raised an eyebrow at his brother and put his hands on his hips. "Well just work your charm on him and ask cutely," he grumbled, looking at Flavio expectantly.

Flavio sighed and got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Damn it...and what if that doesn't work?" he muttered.

"Oh, hold on." Luciano dug into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pocketknife, flicking it open. The clean blade glinted in the dim light. "I can cut the bag while his back is turned. Easy peezy," he said with a smirk.

Flavio looked at Luciano with doubt. "...Are you sure? I mean, you could get caught really easily if you stand literally right behind him," he whimpered.

Luciano growled and got to his feet, giving his brother a shove. "Get out there already, we can't lose him!" he snapped. "Try to keep his back to me."

Flavio cast his brother one last uncomfortable look before heading out of the alleyway and trotting down the road. The young man was still trudging along up ahead, moving at an easygoing pace. Flavio took a deep breath and sped up his pace, calling out to the young man, "E-Excuse me, sir!"

The young man turned to look at Flavio, his irritable expression not faltering for even a moment. Upon closer examination, it was evident that he couldn't be more than seventeen or so. He had long dark brown hair that was tied back with a purple ribbon, but strands of hair still stuck to his forehead messily. His light brown eyes seemed to bore right through Flavio's skull. "Whatchu want, kid?" he sighed in a noticable Spanish accent, stopping to look down at the small brown-haired child.

Flavio stopped and stared up at the young man. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Instead, a shaky squeak came out. His cheeks grew hot in his embarrassment. The only thing on his mind right now was how attractive this boy was. There was a plan? No there wasn't. What was he doing just standing there in front of this boy?

The young man frowned and snapped his fingers in front of Flavio's face. "Hey, kid, what's up? I've got a schedule to keep," he huffed.

Flavio jumped back, snapping out of his trance-like state and bounding to the young man's other side, trying to make him face away from the alley. "I, um...ciao," he stammered, looking up at the boy eagerly.

The young man turned, looking down at Flavio with confusion. "Are you okay?" he asked, a low grumble in his undertone.

"What? Oh, yeah! I'm fine. I was uh...just wondering what was in your fag-BAG," sputtered Flavio. He knew his cheeks were bright red at this point. He bit his lip nervously, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Your...bag."

The young man raised an eyebrow at Flavio and adjusted his hold on his sack. "Vegetables. They're not for sale, though. Sorry," he sighed. "Can you get out of my way now?"

Flavio stayed rooted to the spot. "N-No! I uh...may I please have one of whatever is it there? See, I don't have any money, and I-"

"Look, I would love to help you out, chico, but I have a schedule and I need to make a living. All that stuff. So would you kindly move?" the young man said with a serious expression.

Flavio caught a glimpse of Luciano sneaking up behind the young man and pulling out his pocketknife with a serious composure. He snapped his gaze back up to the boy and shook his head. "N-No. I...um…" he stammered, racking his brain for something to say, his gaze casting back to Luciano on accident, watching his brother cut the bag and carefully pull out pieces of produce.

The young man narrowed his eyes at Flavio's travelling gaze and whipped around. His eyes flared up when he saw Luciano with his arms full of the contents of his sack. "You little shit!" he snarled, trying to snatch Luciano's arm. Unfortunately, the little boy was too quick, and he darted off down the street. Flavio's eyes widened and he realized he should run too. He turned on the spot, but felt a hand roughly grab his shoulder and yank him backwards. "Ohh, you're not getting away that easily, kid. You're coming with me," the boy snarled in his ear.

Flavio squealed in fright, feeling tears well up in his eyes. "I'm sorry!" he wailed, trying desperately to pull himself from the young man's grasp. "P-Please don't hurt me! I didn't mean it, I swear!"

The young man growled and dragged Flavio along. "Use your legs, kid! I can't drag you and a bag at the same time!" he snapped.

Flavio whimpered, still crying softly as he plodded along beside the young man. "W-Where are you taking me? My brother will get worried!" he sniffled. "P-Please don't hurt me!" he repeated.

The young man glared down at Flavio. "I'm not going to hurt you, calm down. You were in on that whole scheme, and since I lost nearly half of my goods, I'm going to need you to pay that off," he muttered, picking up his pace a little.

Flavio's eyes widened nervously. "But I have no money!" he blurted out. "I can't pay for anything! That's why we were trying to steal, you have to understand-"

"Oh, I understand. That's why I'm taking you back to my house. You'll work to pay off your debt," the young man grunted. "Hopefully you'll be a better houseworker than a thief. That was pretty pathetic, you know."

Flavio would have defended his reputation under other circumstances, but right now did not seem like the best time. He kept half-following, half-dragging behind the young man and whimpered quietly, "I'm sorry sir. I'll do what you ask…"

"Don't call me sir, that's weird. Call me Andres, got it?" the young man grumbled, pulling on Flavio's arm roughly to get him to stop lagging behind. "What about you, kid?"

"I-I'm Flavio de Luca," replied Flavio, looking down at his feet as he walked. "N-Nice to meet you, Andres, I guess…?"

Andres rolled his eyes and kept slogging along the road. "Whatever," he muttered, keeping his gaze focused ahead.

Flavio wiped his eyes with his free hand and sniffled, not speaking for the rest of the long trek back to Andres's house, but thoughts about his brother constantly buzzing through his mind.


End file.
